Jayden's Media Studies Blog

"GRWM" by Jayden Harris, Samantha Matheus, and Mikayla Parkins

Ever since we've finished the project, I feel empty. This project gave me something to look forward to doing after school with friends I've gotten closer to over the school year. We had to find something that worked for each of our schedules and use that time efficiently. We had also changed part of the story as we had filmed. Making small tweaks in the costuming or setting. The first day of filming was one of the hardest to get through, we had to figure out how the camera worked, how to achieve certain angles with limited tools, and figuring out what needed to be done so the future days of filming would go smoother.   We had a lot of fun filming and I wish we started earlier, we started filming just a week and a half before the deadline and we started editing at the start of this week. It has been tiring balancing other AICE, AP, and Honors classes while making sure that our film looked neat and that our blog posts were completed.

We used CapCut to change the brightness of the scenes and added audio for ambience. We added some text and effects to the scenes. We cut a few seconds off of the videos and put them in order. We hadn't done much but we are now ready to post the final project.

 While filming we tweaked the story to fit new ideas and fixed some plot holes. While editing we also cut out some chunks to make it shorter and fit the 2:00 minute deadline. Not much has changed but we did make it so there's an easier distinction between the on and off-screen scenes. We also added non dietetic sound, digital elements, and ambient music.

 When we filmed "GRWM", we used warm tone lighting because it looked the best on Mikayla (the Main Character) and changed the brightness depending on the scene. It took a lot of tries to figure out what would look the best on darker skin. Cool lighting washed her out and made her look pale on camera. The warm lighting looked the best and gave her a glow reminiscent of "golden hour".

 Our group consists of Jayden Harris, Mikayla Parkins, and Samantha Matheus. We are able to joke around and have fun but we can also get to work incredibly fast. I feel that we all have worked incredibly hard. Our hardest task was doubling filming while having extracurriculars, activities, challenging homework, and conflicting schedules. We've had an incredible time working together for the past few weeks, we all have assigned tasks to each other for filming: Acting : Jayden Harris, Mikayla Parkins , Samantha Matheus Directing : Samantha Matheus Lights : Jayden Harris, Samantha Matheus Editing : Jayden Harris

 We used a combination of both diegetic and non-diegetic sound. We used primarily CapCut and iMovie for editing. I added sound from "Uppbeat" a free song website that has no copyright claims. Mikayla used the CapCut sound library for music. Dialogue and some sound effects that were created during filming are some diegetic sound examples. Music from # Uppbeat  (free for Creators!): https:// uppbeat .io/t/jeff- kaale/aurora License code: 5CEHJIHFG7NLPVTJ

When we started editing we worked on the YouTube intro and the first scene. We used Fade Ins & Outs to keep it simple since we had not gotten into the details of our story. It was a struggle since one of our group members was having an issue accessing the editing space but we solved it by making it a collaborative space and resending the invite link.

 In "GRWM" we use a variety of colours to help portray different emotions: Blue: Calm & Safe (Intro to Opener) Orange: In Danger & Hurt but not the worst (Middle of Opener) Red: Intense Danger (End of the Opener)

Our title sequence was Alexandria's (Main Character) YouTube channel intro. We screen-recorded a Google search for her channel and clicked on a video so the intro would play. I took inspiration from the movie "Missing", that movie was mainly screen recorded and I thought that would be a nice look for the Title Sequence, especially because it is on theme with the opener. 

 One of the main challenges in filming was finding the perfect time to film. We all had packed schedules and could not find the right day to film. We had a few costuming issues and lighting issues when filming but we got them resolved. I would say that we were not entirely prepared to film and we were just 'going with the flow' at first, we got things done correctly by our 3rd day of filming.

 The first day of filming was a practice run for filming, we figured out what lighting looks best on camera, how to film certain angles and making sure Mikayla (main actor) does not look pale on camera. This day really helped us when we started filming by giving us a general idea of where to be and place the camera, it also helped us make minor tweaks to the story that helped us later on. 

      Our film only has 3 actors in it: Me (Jayden Harris), Samantha Matheus, and Mikayla Parkins. We will each be representing our identities. Two people are black and one person is Hispanic. The film opener is completely fictional, however, tons of black women go missing each year and they make up a large percentage of missing person reports. It makes me incredibly uneasy to know that women (especially BIPOC women) have to worry about being kidnapped daily. 

 The Kidnappers: They kidnapped Alexandria for exploitation. It is not the first and it will not be the last time that they will have done this to other influencers. As long as they get money, they see no harm. Until she starts talking back. The Fans: Alexandria's fans are the first people to notice that she is not acting normally on her channel. They've realized that she changed locations, has bruises, and has different speech patterns. They'll most likely be the ones to solve the mystery of what happened to Alexandria.

                                        ➡ Our main character A lexandria Serenity Williams III is a popular YouTube influencer who mainly makes get ready with me content. She has a preppy and basic fashion style and is upbeat overall. Once she is imprisoned, her happy attitude becomes much darker. Her behaviour change will be reminiscent of the public mania and paranoia experienced by certain celebrities and influencers in recent years.

We decided that our main character would wear blue and orange colours in a preppy fashion style. The colours change throughout filming to signal the levels of danger that the main character is in. The kidnappers were originally going to wear all black with masks on but we changed it so the kidnappers would still be in all black, but in formal attire instead. The all-black with masks is a very stereotypical look in movies so we decided to change it. 

 Before the group started filming, we needed to decide where and when we would be filming, along with, what costumes would be needed to portray each character.  Acting: Each of us will portray the characters in the film opener and Mikayla Parkins will be the protagonist. Costuming: All of the costuming will be provided from our own closet Location: Either at school or at our homes Props: It depends on what we have Filming Equipment: Provided by the school or our phones. Script: Typed by Samantha Matheus

The first 5 panels of the storyboard are supposed to represent our main character after she gets abducted. It takes place on the first day of her being exploited for her YouTube videos The next 5 panels include scenes not featured on her YouTube channel and in the "real" world. The main character starts changing and starts showing fear to her captors. There's a drastic change in her behaviour in the videos and her fans take notice in the comment section. And a reveal that she is kidnapped in the first place. [One of my partners working on the storyboard]  

 Me and my group (Jayden Harris, Mikayla Parkins, Samantha M.) have decided to make a thriller/suspense film opener based off of popular "GRWM" (Get Ready With Me) influencers. This film opener is about a popular GRWM influencer who has been taken hostage by two unnamed captivators. Her fans notice that she has been a bit off-kilter and want to figure out what is happening with her. I am incredibly worried about filming this, I have never filmed anything like this before so this is something completely new to me that im terrified of messing up. I am also scared that this will not live up to our original thought and will end up amiss.  Even though I am worried about filming, I am excited to share this project with my colleagues and learn about the art of film as we go through the production process. I also am excited to act in this with my colleagues.

Rise  By Jamie Levene This opener featured some incredible camera work that inspired my group to pay attention to the angles and shots we use to create a visual masterpiece like this film opener. The music in the background helped portray the theme of "Rising Up". Dear Lover By Ana Arazia Dear Lover included a touching story that left us wanting to watch the full tale. This reminded me and my group not to treat the film opener as a short film but as the opening to a movie that leaves the audience wanting more. Dare to Thrill By Daniel Garzon Dare to Thrill had amazing camera work and left us on a cliffhanger like Dear Lover. This film opener makes me want to watch the full film. It made me ask questions once I finished th e opener and I would like my group's film opener to make you wonder what is going to happen next. Always Watching by Isabel Miranda Always Watching told the story from the wrongdoer's perspective, unlike the traditional perspective of the victim. My...

  Our film opener is going to take place within an influencer's room and an undisclosed location. The characters in this film are the influencer and the captivator(s). The woman crying and the woman with the ring light represent our main character, the influencer. The hooded figure represents the captivator(s) of the influencer. Cameras, wardrobe, and makeup will be the main props for this film opener,

 Group Members:  Jayden Harris, Mikayla Parkins, and Samantha Matheus are the members working on this project. We all sit next to each other in class and have worked on a project before. Samantha and Mikayla are great partners who always have fresh, new ideas and are incredibly reliable. When picking group members, I was so relieved that Mikayla and Samantha would want to work with me on this project. They will be awesome partners to work with. Brainstorm: When trying to choose our film opener, we were stuck on 2 options: Sci-Fi and Horror/Thriller. We chose Horror/Thriller due to us already working on Sci-Fi in our sound project. Together we thought about a movie about four protagonists getting ready side-by-side (via split screen) and unexplainable dying.  Final Conclusion:  We will deliberate more over the break to make our final choice. We are incredibly excited to do this project and are so grateful to be working together as a team.

 For this assignment I was tasked with creating a mood board to represent a theme for a genre of my choice. I chose Sci-Fi, I chose Sci-Fi based on my interest in space exploration and exploration of the unknown. I wanted to portray loneliness and isolation in the mood board, there's no other life form throughout this mood board and I wanted it to be incredibly eerie and give you a feeling of dread.  As you can see, I kept the major elements of Sci-Fi, I used spacecraft, galaxies, black holes, nebulas, asteroids, extraterrestrial life etc. Sci-Fi has a very wide range of topics and I decided to choose space travel. Space travel is depicted in tons of Sci-Fi films, so what makes mine different than the others? In my mood board I wanted the basic elements like space, asteroids, astronauts, spacecraft, but, in order differentiate mine I added an astronaut being separated from the spacecraft and free floating, creepy nebulas, clouds of dust engulfing planets.  Now that I've e...

Why is sound or the lack of sound so important to a scene in a film? You hear sound all the time, it never stops so having a film without it makes it so important to help portray emotions and feeling in a scene.  Explain why it was or was not difficult to come up with sound ideas for a story that would not have visuals for the audience to see. Once we had an idea for our story, it all came together relatively fast but making sure that the sounds told a cohesive and understandable story while not being too busy in a specific portion were some of the hardest parts of our project.   Explain whether you believe or do not believe that your group was able to create a sound story that the audience would be able to understand by just listening to the sounds that were chosen. I think that my group did an outstanding job creating a sound-driven story that the audience could understand by listening. We used tons of easily identifiable sounds like the self checkout beeping noises, or...

 A few weeks ago I had to comment on other classmates' blog posts relating to their camera angles and shots posts. I commented on John Lopez's blog post and Mikayla Parkins' blog post. John Lopez's Blog Comment (https://jjmediastudy.blogspot.com): The pictures used in the blog really stood out to me. John posted an Extreme Close Up that was incredibly intense, the detail on the eye creates a suspenseful and incredibly scary feeling.  Mikayla Parkins' Blog Comment (https://mikaylasblog336.blogspot.com): The pictures used in the blog took a comedic approach and made me laugh with every picture used. 

A few days ago me and my partner Mikayla worked on a project about different camera angles and shots. We took pictures as examples for the different angles. My personal favorites were the tilt shot/dutch shot, extreme close up shot, and the over the shoulder shot. The extreme closeup shot above shows aggression and intensity.  This shot makes me feel engaged in the conversation these two people are having. This tilt shot is taken from a comedic standpoint. The subject is pointing their foot with the tilt and makes the shot pop.

  Master Shot The Master Shot is an uninterrupted shot of the scene. It captures all actors in a scene and can also be used as an establishing shot. For example, this scene from "A Quiet Place Part II."  A Quiet Place Part II MS Example . In this scene it shows an empty road with a traffic light that swings back and forth as it changes to red.  Dutch Angle A Dutch Angle/ Tilted Shot is when the camera is tilted towards an angle to create dramatic affect. In the Blue Coats 2014 DCI show "Tilt" . The point of the show is that everything is tilted, the camera-people tilt the cameras when some of the members of the band tilt.  Blue Coats DCI Show Tilt Dutch Angle/ Tilted Shot Example High Angle &  Low Angle A High Angle is a shot filmed from up high to make a subject feel small, weak, vulnerable, and powerless. A  Low Angle  is a shot filmed down low to make a subject look large, powerful, heroic, or menacing.  Frozen Example of Low and Hi...

Who are you?  Hello and welcome to my blog. I'm Jayden and this is  my first blog post. I am a part of the marching band, I love listening to music, watching TV, and reading . My favorite artist is Beyoncé, and SZA is a close second. My favorite genre is Alternative RnB, its calming to me and it sounds amazing. My go to show is Supernatural and my favorite movie is Back to th e Future II.   What do you hope to learn? Why are you taking this class?  I take my academics very serious. I was placed in an AICE class for English and I was surprised when I found out that I was also put into this class. Film has always intrigued me and I am happy that I am able to focus on film in a way that I wasn't able to before. Hearing about the blog and movie opener made me excited to see what this class would pan out to be like over the school year.